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FRANZONI
Double Platinum Member
Ireland
3543 Posts |
 Posted - 09/08/2009 : 20:37:26
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quote:
Originally posted by Witloofboer
@ Franzoni: I'm not interested in a job as a roadie in your band.  I only use one amp + leslie + pedals. I thought my rig was large & heavy, but when compared to yours... Although I have to say I would like to hear you guys playing. The music on your myspace page is great. 
@Laurie: Eric Johnson has some of the best clean sounds I've ever heard, but his dirty ones are a bit to 'sterile' for me.
With the way we get paid we could only afford to pay you in this stuff anyway......... i'm in the middle of building the wet cabs(see my topic in the off topic section) they are only 1x12s 450mm square with a couple of celestion V 30's... my rig isn't that big..the rack has got a bit heavier since i got the power amp but,i will realistically probably drop the marshall from the setup and use the musicman with the rack and the two outside wet cabs....also my pedalboard will get a bit smaller as well....
How big is your Leslie cab that you bring to gigs....? don't tell me ya drag something the size of a vibratone around..... |
Edited by - FRANZONI on 09/08/2009 20:38:09 |
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Witloofboer
Gold Member
Belgium
513 Posts |
Posted - 09/09/2009 : 17:15:33
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About the Blackstar: I like the idea, but can anyone explain me how they can give you all these features with just 1 preamp tube?
In general: I'd buy a small head and a small cab.
It consists of two parts: the rotor part and a 2*10 bass cab. Each part is about 50x70x50. Let's say, my gear fits in the back of my (parents) car. (Although I am looking for a decent lesliesim.) |
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DasBeef
Gold Member
United Kingdom
704 Posts |
Posted - 09/10/2009 : 13:03:44
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Well, I went hunting in Glasgow yesterday (which was a sea of orange kilts, with the Netherlands fans being over)
Out of all the guitar shops there I only managed to try out two amps.
Vox AC4 - Quite a nice amp, but not brilliant. Clean sound was alright, but I wasn't fond of it cranked on the 1/4 watt setting. Got quite fuzzy, instead of clean natural overdrive.
Blackstar HT-5 - All I can say is that I am an idiot. I had pretty much written this one off after reading the reviews. Found a shop selling it so thought, why not give it a rattle. WOW! I'll say it again... WWWWOOOOWWW. What a really nice sounding versatile 5w amp. And loud as hell as well. Can use the gain control to give you very nice overdrive, which suffers little or no tone loss at very low volumes. This has became the front runner. Anyone interested in a wee valve amp should seriously give this a try.
Now to decide what to do today. Go amp shopping in Edinburgh, or spend some time with the pedals I got while on Holiday. Hmmmmmm....
It is nice out... |
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FRANZONI
Double Platinum Member
Ireland
3543 Posts |
Posted - 09/10/2009 : 14:23:12
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quote:
Originally posted by Witloofboer
About the Blackstar: I like the idea, but can anyone explain me how they can give you all these features with just 1 preamp tube?
In general: I'd buy a small head and a small cab.
It consists of two parts: the rotor part and a 2*10 bass cab. Each part is about 50x70x50. Let's say, my gear fits in the back of my (parents) car. (Although I am looking for a decent lesliesim.)
Mmmm ..yep is a bit strange with a valve amp..in other amps would think that one preamp valve was the phase splitter and the rest of the preamp section was solid state....like my early musicman combo is.. but the HT-5 has only one output valve so i'm not sure...normally there is at least two if not three preamp valves... phase splitter and the other two,to boost the input signal...i've read about these guys at blackstar..they are all ex-marshall designers and their stuff pedals and amps are getting great reviews....plus DasBeef had the opportunity to try the HT-5 and liked it....i'm afraid my knowledge of modern valve amps is limited..i can barely figure out the workings of my musicman,marshall and selmer amps...and these are all over 30 years old..... ...
Your Leslie setup sounds great....i have the Dynacord CLS 22 in the rack for my leslie stuff...you can find them on ebay in germany or austria mostly(not suprising as dynacord are german...) the only thing is i have it in the stero effects loop of the Pod XT PRO as the dynacords bypassed signal can effect the sound..this way i can switch it in and out as i need it.... there are a lot of pedals out there at the moment to recreate the leslie effect...DLS rotosim,rotosphere etc.....
DasBeef...probably felt as if you went amp hunting in amsterdam.......let us know what you decide..... |
Edited by - FRANZONI on 09/10/2009 14:26:22 |
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Dirk
Platinum Member
Netherlands
1309 Posts |
Posted - 09/10/2009 : 17:05:20
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quote:
Originally posted by DasBeef
Well, I went hunting in Glasgow yesterday (which was a sea of orange kilts, with the Netherlands fans being over)
Only the Dutch are crazy enough to do stupid things like that
Even I'm amazed at how far those soccer fans go to support their team.
In the mean time, it's back to the village festivities for me, all weekend long  I even took the day off tomorrow. |
Edited by - Dirk on 09/10/2009 17:05:58 |
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DasBeef
Gold Member
United Kingdom
704 Posts |
Posted - 09/10/2009 : 21:27:39
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The Netherlands fans were all in the boozers with the Scottish fans having beers, banter and a sing song. Even though I am Scottish, I can easily say it's no wander we have such a good rep as supporters. There was not a hint of trouble, and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. Anyway, back to amps...
Today I visited Edinburgh for amp shopping. I managed to try a Tiny Terror, and a Fender Blues Junior. Here's the DasBeef opinion...
Tiny Terror - I had high hopes for this one. A very, very loud amp. At the 7watt option, I still couldn't bring myself to crank it in the sound proof room in the guitar store. Gain was very nice on it, but found that it didn't have a lot of clean option. A great amp, just not for me though.
Fender Blues Junior - Crystal clear clean sound. Absolutely beautiful. The reverb dial on it was very nice sounding as well. Even though I'm not a big reverb man. Not as loud as the orange, but hell, loud enough. Would imagine that rattling some pedals through this bad boy would sound immense. Still not topping the Blackstar though.
Today I also found out that the Blackstar HT-5 Combo is �299 and has one 10inch Cellestion, whereas the HT-5 half stack is �399 and comes with head and two cabs with 10 inch Cellestions. It comes with a footswitch to toggle the gain channel and clean channel, and has a built in effects loop. I honestly can't see past this amp after trying it out. It really is a quality piece of equipment.
There are still two amps I would like to try out, but I'm not sure whether or not I'll get the chance. I fancied the new Marshall Class 5, but it doesn't appear to be hitting stores until October. I also wanted to try the Blackheart Little Giant, but I am struggling to find a Scottish stockist to give it a go.
So in summary, I'm off to find the best price on the Blackstar HT-5 Half Stack on the net, then way up whether I want a stack or a combo. Not going to order it tonight, but who knows what will happen tomorrow. |
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FRANZONI
Double Platinum Member
Ireland
3543 Posts |
Posted - 09/11/2009 : 10:16:33
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Don't have a beer while your surfin' da net as next thing you know the plastic comes out and something arrives on your doorstep a week later....in your case probably two or three large boxes.... ....did you try thomann....? anything over �199 and they ship for free...i got my mic preamp and stereo poweramp,cables etc...five days from ordering....
Plan B.... just had a look the halfstack on their UK site is �485.. ...if you can get in locally for �399 sounds like a good deal,looks really cool as well....... one of these stacks either side of the fireplace running in stereo........i reckon i would end up living on my own.... they do have the blackheart BH-5 head for �120... |
Edited by - FRANZONI on 09/11/2009 10:27:12 |
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DasBeef
Gold Member
United Kingdom
704 Posts |
Posted - 09/11/2009 : 13:32:45
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Ha ha! Yeah, I've woke up a few mornings and thought 'Sh!t, I was on the computer last night with my credit card in hand. What the hell have I bought!!?'.
On the Thomann thing, I almost bought a keyboard from them, but apparently all their stuff comes with the EU plug on it. (2pin) I read into this before and apparently all EU stuff is rated to work between 220v and 240v, so all you need is an adapter. Haven't tried this, and certainly wouldn't be willing to make a �399 amp (well �249 head) my test subject.
Digital Village (DV247.com) offers a Europe wide price beat. When I was looking at the Blackheart, I found it cheaper on another site, and they said they would match it. Unfortunately they don't do Blackstar stuff.
Had a look for the HT-5 half stack, and could only find one place that had it for �389, saving 10 pounds. As much as I'd like to buy it from a local shop, both Edinburgh and Glasgow are train journeys for me and I cant see me lugging a head and two cabs myself. I can drive, but utterly hate having to drive to either city. So I'll most likely buy it off the web, and have it delivered. |
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FRANZONI
Double Platinum Member
Ireland
3543 Posts |
Posted - 09/11/2009 : 14:51:41
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quote:
Originally posted by DasBeef
On the Thomann thing, I almost bought a keyboard from them, but apparently all their stuff comes with the EU plug on it. (2pin) I read into this before and apparently all EU stuff is rated to work between 220v and 240v, so all you need is an adapter. Haven't tried this, and certainly wouldn't be willing to make a �399 amp (well �249 head) my test subject.
I'm not quite with you on this... the actual connector on the back of the unit is 3 prong that take a standard 'kettle lead' i normally throw the the two pin lead away or just put a standard plug on the end...is there some other reason why this is dangerous...? on hols i just put the two pin adapter on the end on a extension lead and run all my plugs for my own stuff(camera adapters.laptop etc) off it with no probs...did it in france last year everything was ok... |
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DasBeef
Gold Member
United Kingdom
704 Posts |
Posted - 09/12/2009 : 16:17:11
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quote:
Originally posted by FRANZONI
quote:
Originally posted by DasBeef
On the Thomann thing, I almost bought a keyboard from them, but apparently all their stuff comes with the EU plug on it. (2pin) I read into this before and apparently all EU stuff is rated to work between 220v and 240v, so all you need is an adapter. Haven't tried this, and certainly wouldn't be willing to make a �399 amp (well �249 head) my test subject.
I'm not quite with you on this... the actual connector on the back of the unit is 3 prong that take a standard 'kettle lead' i normally throw the the two pin lead away or just put a standard plug on the end...is there some other reason why this is dangerous...? on hols i just put the two pin adapter on the end on a extension lead and run all my plugs for my own stuff(camera adapters.laptop etc) off it with no probs...did it in france last year everything was ok...
I think EU power is 220v, and UK is 240v. For an amp, the kettle lead is fine, (I forgot about that option) but with the keyboard I would need an adaptor. |
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Witloofboer
Gold Member
Belgium
513 Posts |
Posted - 09/12/2009 : 20:05:52
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| EU power (Belgium) is 240V too. |
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Scarymonsta
Bronze Member
United Kingdom
90 Posts |
Posted - 09/12/2009 : 22:26:07
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Note: * Member countries of the European Union are presently striving to achieve a common mains standard.
From 1 January 2004 the mains supply should be 230V (-6%, +10%), 50 Hz (�1%). ie a range of 216.2 - 253V
This replaces the UK's former specification which was 240V �6% (ie a range of 225.6 - 254.4V)
Variations should still be anticipated in some areas as the voltage will drop during periods of heavy demand and rise during periods of low demand
No adapters required (apart from changing the mechanical fit of a two pin to UK three pin - or just chop off the two pin and wire in a UK plug. |
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FRANZONI
Double Platinum Member
Ireland
3543 Posts |
Posted - 09/13/2009 : 00:48:34
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| Nice one......thought there was something i had missed for a moment.....as i said this is what i've done with any stuff i've bought from thomann etc..with euro two pin plugs,either put a 3 pin on it or just get a kettle lead with a molded 3 pin on it already.... one of the good things about having an electrician in the band,he comes across lots of the kettle leads being thrown out when he's working on refits so i get them free...... |
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DasBeef
Gold Member
United Kingdom
704 Posts |
Posted - 09/13/2009 : 03:20:32
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Sweet!
So anyone want to add anything regarding the Blackheart HT-5 half stack? |
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DeFrag
Moderator
USA
3409 Posts |
Posted - 09/13/2009 : 04:21:30
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| Do you mean an HT-5 head on a Blackheart cab? |
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Topic |
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Blackheart Little Giant Combo
